There are, perhaps, two kinds of people when it comes to travelling a medium distance: those who want to get things done with a quick flight and those who don’t mind taking it slow and sticking to the ground. For the slow travellers, there’s no mode of travel more romanticized than the train.

While I usually count myself in the first category (spending time in my destination is usually more appealing than the journey), this summer I found myself fully enjoying the realm of the latter, when I hopped aboard The Ocean, VIA Rail’s scenic route between Montreal and Halifax. I needed to get from Halifax to Ottawa (which is just a quick commuter train ride from Montreal) and the prospect of spending 22 hours on a train seemed oddly enchanting.

Riding the Rails

The sleeper compartments on The Ocean aren’t huge, but they are cozyVIA Rail

I wasn’t wrong — there is a certain magic in chugging across large swaths of land, but you’ve got to do it the right way. If you’re going to indulge in The Ocean as a treat to yourself, booking Sleeper Plus class is the only way to go. As I stepped on the car, my steward directed me to my private cabin. Though it technically does sleep two on fold-down bunk beds, it wasn’t much larger than the interior of my car. But it was a private space with a locking door and, most excitingly, a personal bathroom with a shower. Since I was on the train for less than 24 hours I didn’t use the shower (which turns the airplane-sized bathroom into a true water closet), but it was nice to know that I could. From the comfort of my room I could sit and read (wifi was only available in the communal car) or let the rolling train lull me to sleep.

Travelling in style also means eating well and The Ocean is fitted with a full dining car that serves a hot lunch, dinner and breakfast (all of which is included in sleeper class) as well as a selection of Canadian wines and beers. While it’s bumpy and the food is not mind-blowing (though, it’s not bad at all for a train), there is an air of glamour in sitting in the dining car, sipping on a nice Nova Scotia white.

Gentle thrill of the ride

Part of the fun of The Ocean is watching the landscape changeVIA Rail

But what does one do on a 22-hour train ride when not eating or sleeping? The most obvious answer is, you watch the country go by. You wave at children as you go though the whistle stops. You daydream about what it would be like to live in a pretty town like Miramichi, New Brunswick or Mont-Joli, Quebec.

My Ocean journey started on the East Coast in Halifax and snaked westward through New Brunswick with brief stops in places like Moncton, Bathurst and Campbellton before moving into Quebec. It’s hard not to spend large stretches of time simply staring out the window, watching the rolling hills and changing bodies of water. Unfortunately, I was asleep for a good chunk of the Quebec part of the journey, but I did wake up as the train stopped in Sainte-Foy, going back across the Saint Lawrence River to resume the course southward to Montreal as I wiped the sleep from my well-rested eyes. This is the true beauty of the train: when else do you give yourself permission to simply stare out the window for hours on end, or wake up in a different province than the one you fell asleep in?

The Dome Car is open to Sleeper Plus class passengersVIA Rail

While gazing out the window for the whole ride is certainly acceptable (and perhaps even advisable), The Ocean is not completely devoid of stimulation. The privacy of a sleeper compartment is a luxury, but there are also plenty of places to sit and chat, including a vintage bar car at the back of the train. Sleeper Plus customers also have access to the Park car, with a scenic dome, giving bird’s eye views of the passing scenery. The seats fill up quickly, but people tend to move in and out and a spot up top is worth waiting for. As I climbed to the top an energetic guide named Bridget was giving a lecture on the mechanics of lobster traps, with a bright red plastic lobster in hand.

Later, back in the bar car, Bridget poured a free sampling of Nova Scotia sparkling wine for myself and my travelling companions. As I sip on my bubbly we chat about the culture and beauty of the Maritimes and Bridget’s face suddenly lights up.

“Do you know Stan Rogers?” she asks, excitedly.

I laugh and tell her yes, I am familiar with the famed Maritime singer and Bridget smiles and winks, explaining that with so many visitors from around the world, she can never assume that any guest knows a lot about Maritime culture. Even though we are well on our way to land-locked central Canada at this point, Maritime charm reigns on The Ocean. I’m not just getting to Montreal the slow way, I’m extending the experience of East Coast hospitality, which is more than worth the extra time it takes to get from point A to point B.